Photographic-printing machine



Oct. 22, 1929. B. G. HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE v Filed May 23, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 l0 Z 3 I32 J/ '4 gwventom Oct.22, 1929. B. cs. HARRIS 1,732,471

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE Filed May 25. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 wmt 59k Ben 0mm Patented Oct. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BENJAMIN G. HARRIS,

OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR T0 PHOTO EQUIPMENT MFG. 00., OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON PHOTOGRAPHIC-PRINTIN G MACHINE Application filed May 23, 1927.

The invention is a machine for printing photographic prints and also borders around the prints in which the print paper is held in a platen and in' Whicha hinged frame supporting the platen stops before the print paper reaches the film and is then moved downward vertically as the print is made.

One object of the invention is to provide a photographic printing machine in which the platen is movable to a plurality of printing positions so that the paper is not removed from the platen while being printed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a photographic printing machine having a movable platen. in which the platen is provided with means for locating and holding it rigid while printing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a photographic printing machine having a ball and socket joint between the operating lever. and platen.

Another object of the invention is to provide a: photographic printing machine in which the mat holding bar is resiliently held laterally to insure positive alignment.

A further object of the invention is to provide a photographic printing machine in which the platen is supported at four corners and arranged so that the pressure from an operating lever will be equally distributed.

And a still further object of the invention is to provide a photographic printing machine which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these ends in view the invention embodies a photographic printing machine in whichthe platen is slidable on parallel bars and provided with openings to engage pins to locate and hold the platen rigid while printing and in which a lever for operating the device is connected to the platen by a ball and socket joint and resilient means are provided for supporting the cornersof the said platen from a platen frame.

- .Other features and advantages of the invention will be seen from the following description taken in connection with the draw ings wherein,

Figure 1 is a plan viewof the machine.

Serial No. 193,416.

Figure 2 is a front view with part broken away. I 1

Figure 3 is a cross section through the machine.

Figure 4 is a view showing the mat holding bar with part broken away.

.Figure 5 is a detail showing the means for holdng and locating the platen frame.

Figure 6 is a similar View showing the platen frame resting upon the holdin means. i

In the drawings the device is shown as it would be made wherein numeral 1 indicates the platen, numeral 2 the parallel bars, and numeral 3 the operating lever.

, The platen 1 may be made as shown, with arectangular shaped block'ethaving felt or other suitable resilient material on the lower surface thereof as indicated by the numeral 5 and a plate'G on the upper side by which it is supported from a frame 7 through bolts 8 and springs 9. It will be observed that the bolts 8 are threaded into hubs 10 on the plate 6 and on the upper ends of the bolts are heads 11 which hold the platen upward as shown, on the springs.

The frame 7 is made as shown in Figure 1 and pivotally supported on a shaft 12 through hubs 13 at the ends of arms 14. At the sides of the frame are lugs 15 which have holes 16 in them that are adaptable to fit over pins 17 on projections 18 which are formed on the sides of standards 19 that supportv oneend of the parallel bars 2. The opposite ends of the bars 2 are supported on similar standards which are indicated by the numeral 20. It will be observed that as the frame 7 is lowered, the openings in the lugs 15 or 16 will-receive the pins 17 and the lugs will rest upon the projections 18 so that the downward movement of the frame will be stopped and the frame will rest upon the projections 18 with the pins 17 in the holes in the lugs so that any side play or lateral movement of the frame will be eliminated as the print paper or the lower side of the platen engages the film and the downward movement of the frame will also be stopped before the print paper reaches the film. The platen is then moved straight downward by the lever 3 which is also pivotally mounted on the shaft 12 through a hub 21 and attached to the platen through a bolt 22 having a ball and socket joint 23 at the lower end and a spring 24 on the bolt between the lever 3 and the platen. It will therefore be observed that as the lever 3 is moved downward the spring will force the platen straight downward so that it will be moving exactly Vertical as the print paper engages the film. As the platen is supported by the four corners through the bolts 8 from the frame 7 it will be permitted to move straight downward as a pressure is exerted at the center through the ball and socket joint. It will be noted that if the frame were permitted to move all the way downward the fact that it is moving about a center would cause the print paper to engage the. film with a sliding movement whereas by stopping the frame before the paper engages the film and then moving the platen straight downward a direct positive contact is made.

The shaft 12 is mounted in a slidable frame 25 which is mounted on the bars 2 and adaptable to slide backward and forward as the platen is moved; from one position to another. At the rear of the frame 25 are two upwardly extending projections 26 that engage the frame 7 to; hold it in the upward position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 3. It will also be observed that these projections will engage av clip 27' at the rear of the platen which is resiliently held upward by a fiat spring 28 and when the projections 26 engage the clip they will move the lower end as indicated by the numeral 29outward so that it will, free the print paper that; may be held therein andbe, openso that it isready to receive the, next piece of paper. The standard 20 is provided with a projection 30 having a setscrew 31 therein which will engage the end of the frame 25 to form an adjustable. stop at the rear as shown in Figure 1 and a similar set screw 31 is placed in one of the projections 18 in one of the standards 1 9to provide an adjustable stop at the front.

011 one end of the shaft 12 is an arm 32 having a set screw 33 in the outer end which will engagev a button 34 to operate a switch to light a lamp below the printing frame as the print paperengages the film. It will be noted that the same set screw will engage another button 35 to operate another switch to light a, lamp in the forward compartment when the frame is in the forward position.

On the opposite side of the machine is a numbering device. which is indicated by the numeral 36 and which is supported in an arm 37 from the. frame 25 and it will be observed that the numbering device is operated by levers 38 so that when it is in theposition shown in Figure 1 it will engage an ink pad 39 and when it is moved to the forward position it will print a number on a print that-may bev resting upon a tray 40. I

- The tray 40ishingedat one side of anopening 41 by hinges 42 and at one side of the tray is a pin 43 that is engaged by an arm 44 which is pivotally mounted at the point 45 and positioned so that it will be engaged by an arm 46 on a hub 47 on the shaft 12 as the plat-en is pushed downward when in the position shown in Figure 1. The tray 40 will thereby be raised to dump the print through the opening 41. The tray 40 is provided with openin s 48 which have disappearing fingers 49 in them against which the paper is placed when it is placed upon the tray and over which the paper will pass as the tray is raised. The fingers 49 are permanently attached to the surface of the machine so that as the tray 40 is r'aised it will move above the ends of the fingers 49 to permit the paper to slide over them.

The machine is mounted upon a fiat surface with light openings therein over which films may be placed and it will be observed that it may be provided with a bar 50 in which mats may be held and a spring clip 51 by which the films, maybe held. Another clip 52 may be provided at the rear of the 1 machine to assist in holding the film. A mat as indicated by the numeral 53 may also be provided which will have an opening 54 in it that maybe of any suitable size. It is understood that any suitable type of matmay be used and the mats may be provided for both openings. i

The mats are held in the bar 50 which is made as shown in Figure 4 with a lower member 55 andanother bar 56 which isheld to the member 55 by screws 57. The meme ber 55 is also provided with pins. 58 that extend upward into openings 59 in the bar 56 as shown. It will be observed that the mats as'indica'ted by the numeral 53 have elongated holes 60 in' them which fit over the pins 58 to hold them while the bar 56 is being attached by the screws 57. The bar 50 is held in openings 61 inv sockets 62, and resiliently held towards one side of the openings by spring balls 63 as shown in Figure 1, thereby eleminating all possibility of side or lateral play in the bar and insuring a rigidly held mat.

It will be understood that changesmay be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention. Qne of which changes may be in the design or arrangement of the platen as it is understood that any suitable platen may be used, another maybe in the use of other means for slidably supporting the platen so that it may readily be moved; from. one position to another, another may be. in the useof other means for stoppingv and holding the platen before the print paper engages the film andi stil-l another may be in the use of other means for holding the mat or in the use ofthe machine for any other type ofmat.

The construction will be: readily underpartment under the mat.

stood in the foregoing description. To use the device it is arranged as shown and it will be observed that the film for the picture may be placed on the mat in one of the positions and a film for printing a border pla ced in another of the positions so that as the platen is forced against the mat in one position a picture will be printed and when the action is repeated in the second position a border will be printed, or vice versa. The paper may be held on the platen by the clip 29 which is held by a spring 28 as hereinbefore described. It will be observed that as the platen is moved downward the frame 7 supporting the platen will stop in the position shown in full lines in Figure 3 and as the lever 3 is moved downward as indicated by the dotted lines it will compress the spring 24 and force the platen vertically downward from a central point so that it will engage the surface of the mat with a straight downward movement and with an equal pressure at all points. As the lever 3 is pushed downward the lever 32 will operate a switch and light a lamp in the com- The lever 3 will then be raised until the platen is away from the mat and then the device may be moved forward and the downward action repeated to make a second print on the same pieceof paper. It will be observed that as the device is moved downward the holes in the lugs 16 will engage the pins 17 and thereby rigidly hold the platen to prevent any lateral or sidewise movement thereby insuring a positive engagement of the print paper and film so that the border and picture will correspond at all times.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a photographic printing machine of the class described, a platen, a frame supporting the platen, a lever pivotally supported in the said frame and resiliently attached to the platen, means for slidably supporting the frame, means for positively locating the platen as it is moved to the printing position, means for holding the platen supporting frame before the platen engages the surface at which a print is to be made, and means for moving the platen straight downward with even pressure at all points.

2. In a device of the class described, a platen, a hinged frame in which the platen is resiliently supported, means for stopping and holding the hinged frame before the platen arrives at the printing position, and means for moving the platen with the supporting frame stationary to the printing position With a straight downward movement.

3. In a photographic printing machine a platen resiliently supported in a hinged frame, means for moving the said hinged frame to a position directly above the printing position, means for locating the sand platen asit arrives above the printing position and means for moving the said platen to the printing position with the said hinged frame stationary.

4. In a device of the class described, a 1

platen, a hinged frame, vertical pins extending from the platen through the frame, springs on the said pins for resiliently holding the platen to the frame, a lever attached to the frame and platen to operate the frame and the saidfplaten independent of the frame, a ball and socket joint in the center of the said platen connecting the platen to the lever, and cooperating with the pins insuring an equal pressure over the said platen.

5. In a photographic printing machine a platen, a frame in which the platen is resiliently held at the four corners, another frame in which the said former frame is pivotally mounted, means for slidably supporting the said latter frame, a lever pivotally mounted in the saidlatter frame and resiliently con nected to the said platen with a ball and socket joint, means for locating the said platen as it moves into the printing position and means for stopping the said platen before it reaches the printing position and for permitting it to move into the printing position with a straight downward movement.

6. In a machine for making photographic prints or the like, a platen, a track, means for pivotally and slidably supporting the said platen from the said track, means for stopping the said platen in different positions, automatically releasable means for holding papers to be printed to the said platen, a mat, and bars between which the said mat is held, one of the said bars having tapering sides to fit a tapering groove to rigidly hold the said mat in position, said mat having a plurality of openings and being located so that as the said platen is stopped in different positions the said paper thereon to be printed will cover one of the openings in the said platen.

7. In a device of the class described, a mat holder for photograph printing machines comprising a bar having threaded sockets to receive screws, pins extending upward between the sockets, a mat having elongated slots to receive the pins and openings cooperating with the threaded socket-s, a smaller bar with openings to receive the pins and also having openings cooperating with the threaded sockets, and screws for holding the smaller bar to the former bar through the openings and threaded sockets and thereby clamping the mat between the bars.

8. In a device of the class described, a mat holder for photograph printing machines comprising a bar having threaded sockets to receive screws, pins extending upward between the sockets, a mathavingelongated slots to receive the pins and openings cooperating with the threaded sockets, a smaller bar with openings to receive the pins and also having openings cooperating with the threaded sockets, screws holding the smaller bar to the former bar through the openings and threaded sockets and thereby clamping the mat between the bars, the larger bar of the said holder being adaptable to be positionedin a groove, and suitable sockets With spring pins at the ends of the groove for holding the ends of the bar.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

BENJAMIN G. HARRIS. 

